For all those who spend their ages buying things from companies at the market price, shouldn’t there be a special discount to show them respect for believing and showing their faith in particular brands?
Many brands, ranging from grocery stores to restaurants, offer discounts for senior citizens, appreciating their loyalty.
U-Haul is also no exception. They offer their rentals and other items at discounted prices for senior citizens.
We found that the reduced prices for senior citizens play a significant role in their lives, especially during major life transitions such as an in-town move or relocating post-retirement.
In this blog, we are going to discuss all about the senior discounts that U-Haul offers and how, as a senior, you can benefit from them.
So, this will be the ultimate guide to help you avail the best of this discount.
Getting clear about Senior discounts
Aging comes with grey hair, wrinkles, and many changes, but have you heard about its perks ever?
Getting discounted prices on nearly every item is one of the privileges of being a senior citizen.
A citizen with a general age of above 50+ is usually considered a senior according to the guidelines of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
But this varies with the industry offering the discount and the age criteria they have set.
Some offer senior discounts at 50 years and some at 65 years.
Either for small items or large purchases, you’ll find a senior discount for it. All the industries that are offering discounts for seniors are:
- For retail. Kohl’s, Rite Aid, and Michael are some names offering discounts in the retail industry.
- For restaurants. Cinnabon, Bonefish Grill, A&W, and Ben& Jerry’s are among the restaurants that offer senior discounts on dining. The most typical discount is 10% off but varies accordingly.
- For travel. Senior citizens can get discounts on airlines, car rentals, and hotels during off-peak season.
- For healthcare and medical purposes. Seniors can benefit from free consultations, prescription drugs, and fewer medical and dental procedures charges.
- For utility discounts. Seniors with less income and older than 60 may get discounts on their electricity, gas, and water bills.
There may be other industries where seniors can get membership discounts, such as gyms and spas.
If you are unsure about the availability of the discount on a particular brand, you can always ask them for confirmation.
The discounts for different industries may vary according to their conditions and eligibility.
Some might offer these on particular days or seasons, online or in-store, and a specific off percentage.
The importance of Senior discounts while moving
Senior citizens usually relocate in retirement to get away from the hustle of the city and get to a peaceful place or their hometown and, in the meanwhile, face financial challenges.
If you are moving with your family and have young adults who can do the heavy lifting for you and other stuff, then you are good to go without spending money on hiring moving helpers.
Moving costs for Seniors
When you are planning your move, you should be aware of the expenses you have to deal with:
- Packing and unpacking expenses.
- Renting vehicles (trucks, trailers, and cargo vans).
- Buying moving supplies (boxes, tapes, bubble wrap), the small things, when added up, can cost a lot.
- Hiring movers to help with luggage.
- The cost of housing, utility connections, and many add-ons at your new place.
Tip: it’s always beneficial to keep your budget estimation high when planning your moving budget. It saves you from unnecessary headaches later.
Financial challenges that Seniors face while moving
Even though seniors get their decent retirement amount on a monthly basis, with the rising inflation, it is not easy to manage the moving costs with it.
Meanwhile, during the moving process, senior citizens have to face numerous financial issues. Some of them are listed below:
- Having limited savings.
- Typically, inadequate assistance from family and friends.
- Physical and healthcare limitations.
- Difficulty getting loans and paying debt.
Hence, keeping in mind the moving costs and the financial challenges that seniors have to face, having discounts on moving supplies and rentals supports them crucially.
In this guide, we will discuss U-Haul’s (a moving rental company) senior discount, qualification and eligibility for the discount, and all the details.
U-Haul’s Senior discount
It’s always a controversial topic whether U-Haul offers discounts or not. You’ll often hear mixed reviews of it. Let’s be honest here.
U-Haul doesn’t offer discounts and deals all over the year.
Yes, they do offer them. You should have a great knowledge of U-Haul offering discounts and get the best out of the deal.
U-Haul does offer a senior discount. Yes, it will not be available on the table all over the year.
The senior discount of U-Haul applies to their trucks, cargo, utility trailers, and moving supplies.
A typical discount is 5% off from base rental rates. Mileage and all other charges might be the same as usual.
The discount is available at all of the U-Haul locations. However, the conditions of the discount may vary accordingly.
The discount is usually available in off-peak seasons. However, you may confirm its availability by asking regarding the discount when renting a U-Haul truck and saving some money.
Eligibility and qualification for the discount
U-Haul has specific criteria for their other discounts, and you always have to show some documents to confirm your identity.
The senior discount is no exception. The main required thing is their mentioned age and not less than that. Besides, it has some other requirements.
- Age. 55+ years. All companies have a different age range for their senior discounts. The U-Haul discount applies to aged persons 55 years or older.
- Driving license, passport, or anything official showing your birthdate and confirming your age.
- AARP membership. You must need to be an AARP member to avail of this discount.
If you still haven’t signed up for an AARP membership, it costs $16 yearly, and you can have great advantages with this membership, getting discounts in various industries.
Although, the membership cost per year varies by age and renewal status.
You can visit the AARP official site to get more information regarding the membership.
Accessing the U-Haul’s senior discount
The U-Haul senior discount is available both online and in-store in all of their locations. To verify your membership and get the discount, follow this guideline.
- For online, go to the U-Haul website and choose your rental choice after exploring it.
- Put your membership card number in the U-Haul discount box.
- Enter your info and birthdate.
- Discount will be applied on your chosen rental if available and comes under discount.
For an in-store discount, visit the nearby U-Haul location and bring your membership and ID card with you.
After choosing the rental and getting all the details, ask them for senior discount details.
Benefits of getting U-Haul’s senior discount
U-Haul discount for senior citizens comes with a set of benefits. How the discount can help senior citizens in their life’s major transition is listed below.
- Cost-effective
As U-Hall prices are comparatively low compared to other moving options available. This discount can be an add-on benefit for you and save you money.
You can get up to 10% off. But a typical off is 5%. It varies according to the location and peak seasons.
As an example, consider these calculations to clarify how the discount will be applied.
- Having a 10′ truck for a day: Regular charges = $69, discounted price = $62.10.
- A 4′ x 7′ utility trailer for 10 days: Regular charges = $180, discounted price = $162.
Note: these calculations will vary according to pick-up and drop-off locations, mileage, and other charges.
- Using U-Haul self-storage units to safely keep your belongings if you haven’t moved to your new place or your new house’s settings are not finalized yet.
The discount can play a significant role as moving after retirement is a major life transition, and small things can become a large sum when added upon.
It is especially helpful for fixed-income or pension seniors.
So, getting small discounts can help a lot in having significant savings.
Pro-tip: Registering for AARP and having their membership can help you get discounts on various brands and companies.
The Takeaway
Making a move is already considered overwhelming for adults, and it is indeed twice for senior citizens, considering all the factors we have explained.
And if you don’t have a proper moving plan, pre- and post-cost plan beforehand, it will be more tiring to look out for things for you.
That’s the reason U-Haul has offered their senior discount to make things easy for senior citizens and save money on renting a vehicle and hiring moving helpers.
We have explained a detailed guide on U-Haul’s senior discount, its eligibility, and all the requirements before availing of this discount.
Still, we encourage our readers to investigate the discount before renting a U-Haul and thoughtfully plan their move.